The total hiking distance is approximately 59.5km. It is generally easy to cross, but rocks in this area are very slippery. Twin Coast Trail 2. It is a popular weekend spot, as hikers can access it from the Cape Scott Trailhead. Spend 4-7 days hiking this 58 kilometer trail and experience the raw beauty of Vancouver Island’s rugged north coast. After the wolf returned to the forest, eagles dropped onto the carcass to grab some nutrients. Later in the trip, we watched numerous black bears search for food in the seaweed piles near Laura Creek. You will disembark from the bow of the bobbing Sea Legend 1 onto slippery rocks or drop onto a pebble beach while the motor is still running. Distance: 64 kmDuration: 5 daysPeak: 86 mGain: 1043 mMap: CalTopo. The weather was perfect the entire week, with only a few showers on the first day. A short hike along the North Coast Trail behind the forest campsites leads to a gravel bar where fresh water can be collected. After we pitched our tents, a little splotchy gray whale swam close to shore, quietly spouting. It was a chance for us to leave our camp set up and hike with lighter day-packs. Soon all our things were wet and sandy; Mike was the only one with the skills to keep his dry. Guise Bay was a jewel, with blue-green water that beckoned a swim. There is only one significant tide problem along the North Coast Coast Trail involving a rocky cliff cut-off. Eventually, we descended to glittering Nissen Bight (32 km)…another beautiful sandy long beach. We completed the official BC Parks North Coast Trail PLUS the Cape Scott Trail system with the historic Lighthouse as an extension…almost 84 km in total! At this time, both segments have a stone or crushed stone surface. There is another creek east of the Laura Creek campsite. Eagles were always present along the way, with some ducks paddling in the pocket beaches. Find walking maps and guidebooks, self guided walking holidays and hiking tours. Tidal sea water mixed with the river at the mouth, so we hiked upstream for fresh water. Stow trekking poles on or inside your pack. Base: Port HardyWebsite: www.capescottwatertaxi.ca/services/north-coast-trail-shuttle/Phone: 1-250-949-6541 (Toll free: 1-800-246-0093)Email: [email protected]. Access to the Cape Scott Trailhead is by logging road. There was a lone cormorant (not the helicopter!) There are great tide pools here…once we saw a massive pool filled with trapped jellyfish! The shuttle trip from the trailhead to Port Hardy takes just under 2 hours, including a stop for lunch. The sand and pebble beach is an excellent campsite with a great water source. Our group was a team of horses back to the barn…excited for pub food at the Scarlet Ibis and hot showers back in Port Hardy. The fresh water source is a bit of a hunt…look for a path into the forest from the beach. Avoid this zone! We met John at the San Josef Trailhead (47 km), charismatic Port Hardy Councillor, driver of the North Coast Trail Shuttle, and passionate north islander. Otherwise, the rest of day involved hiking along the coastline. The highlight of today was the gorgeous, expansive, emerald upland bog we traversed through. 1. It was a wonderful experience to immerse in the natural world, see wild animals in their homes, and feel the elements of summer ocean weather. The Cape Scott Water Taxi could not execute our usual morning drop-off at Shushartie Bay. After a comforting hot lunch at the Scarlet Ibis Pub in Holberg, we lurched along the soaked roads back to Port Hardy. Those of us that went into the ocean at Laura Creek Camp were treated with rocky tide pool “bathtubs” plus sea weed scrubs and giant red rock crabs for company. Irony Creek (Shuttleworth Bight) Campsite to Laura Creek Campsite: 11.8km – 4 to 7 hours. He graded the mud puddles as a “level 0.5 out of a possible 10”. Animals sighted that day included small frogs on the beach, eagles, sea gulls, and ravens on the big Shuttleworth rock. Whales were not as abundant this week. Hold tightly to ropes as they may be muddy. Old fence posts sagged under their own decay. Our first welcome sight was John Tidbury and the famous North Coast Trail Shuttle. There are stretches of boardwalk, but expect to be climbing up, over and around tree roots and stumps and through very muddy sections. With spring fever being over, we heard fewer birds on this trip than earlier in the season. The Huron County portion of the North Coast Inland Trail continues to grow, with a 10.3-mile completed segment now stretching from the eastside of Bellevue to Norwalk. There are four tent platforms, a food cache, and a pit toilet at this location. Be prepared for all kinds of weather! When it was my turn, I did my best to confidently descend like I’d done it a million times before. After waiting our turn and crossing in teams of two, we entered the forest again. Experiment Bight was a highlight with the best wolf track examples of the whole trip! Harbour Publishing. A black bear foraged in the estuary at Shushartie Bay on our first day. Wildlife viewing included several eagles, hermit thrushes, Pacific wrens, Steller’s jays, a loon at camp, and jumping fish! Coastal Trail Now Open. Gallery The Cape Scott Water Taxi and North Coast Trail Shuttle also closed reservations down those weeks. Look for the old settler’s road along this section, and stop for a break at Laughing Loon Lake – the North Coast Trail’s only lake (not suitable for swimming). The North Coast Trail Shuttle, which offers boat transfers to Shushartie Bay and pick up from the Cape Scott Trailhead operates May 1 to Sept 15. Artifacts near Fisherman Bay included the remains of an old wharf where the Danes tried (and failed) to ship supplies. Less hikers on water taxi for each trip due to social distancing. I packed along Maria I. Bremner’s excellent new guidebook: Cape Scott and the North Coast Trail: Hiking Vancouver Island’s Wildest Coast. There are no tent platforms but beach camping is possible.Skinner Creek is the only good water source along this section of trail. Excellent weather set the stage for a wonderful trip that also included dry trail conditions, perfect tides, and numerous animals! This is the last section of inland trail before reaching the Nissen Bight trailhead. OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS: This section is teaming with wildlife. Many beach sections can be traversed at low tide, but look for the adjacent inland routes during high waters. Officially opened in May of 2008, the North Coast Trail is a 46 kilometre wilderness adventure composed of a Class 3 trail and several environmentally-sensitive BC Parks campgrounds. 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